


Aftermath

by JustJReally



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Grief/Mourning, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, Non-Human Cecil Palmer, Not Canon Compliant, Other: See Story Notes, Post-Episode: e049 Old Oak Doors Part B, but the ship is important so I tagged it, not relationship focused, that thing where party a in the ship gets hurt and party b goes feral
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26787865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustJReally/pseuds/JustJReally
Summary: It's been almost a year, and the air for a five-mile radius around the crater that used to be Desert Bluffs still smells faintly of smoke.
Relationships: Carlos/Cecil Palmer
Kudos: 23





	Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> I initially wrote this in 2015, found it today, decided I still really like it, and edited it down to 300 words so it counts as a triple drabble (a treble?) or something.  
> This is very much not canon compliant with anything post-Old Oak Doors, and I haven't listened to Night Vale in a while so I may be accidentally stamping all over the newer bits of canon.  
> I completely understand if that all doesn't appeal! I wrote this for the ANGST and the target audience is ME.

It's been almost a year, and the air for a five-mile radius around the crater that used to be Desert Bluffs still smells faintly of smoke. 

It’s been almost a year, and nobody's dared to try to clean out the lab over by Big Rico's Pizza. It stands empty, a hollow shell, a ghost. One might say that, without beautiful, perfect Carlos, it is a lifeless husk. But no one has, because that statement applies as much to the building itself as it does to the man who would say it.

The radio station stands almost as quiet, almost as lifeless. 

The only person who’s entered or left in a year is Intern Maureen, who returned to work the day after StrexCorp fell.

She hasn’t spoken to the Voice. She hasn’t seen him outside the recording booth, but someone’s been feeding Khoshekh. "It's no more dangerous working there now than it was before,” she tells anyone who asks, “I don't think he even realizes I'm there. Besides, if he does... he's still Cecil. He’ll probably just ask me to edit his fanfic, right?”

The citizens of Night Vale listen, and dart concerned glances at the radio station. They trust the Voice (he saved them from a Smiling God), but they're terrified of him (they’ve seen what remains of Desert Bluffs. They saw what he did to StrexCorp).

They leave their radios on.

It's been almost a year, after all, since they heard Dana's voice on the radio, still caught up in the shock and relief of Cecil coming back on air.

"Cecil? I- I found Carlos. But he's- he’s hurt."

"Hey... Cecil..."

It's been almost a year since the radio cut off in the middle of a broadcast for the first time. Ever. The StrexCorp workers started screaming shortly afterwards.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
